Comments

On Friday night, November 17, the TV show 20-20 had a feature on the danger of overloading SUVs with gross payload (carrying weight) of less than l,000 pounds. They said our RX300's payload was 850 pounds, and that overloading it, especially with weight on the roof, increases the chance of rollover. Five guys on a fishing trip with all their gear would probably push the limit. They listed the M-class and X5 as having payloads of around 1200 pounds, as I recall. Explorers, just over l,000 pounds payload, are especially vulnerable as they have room for much more weight, but not the load capacity. Tell your RX friends. Overloading can be dangerous. Joe Tuso Drive RX. Enjoy! Enjoy!

I just traded my 2000 for a 2001 with Nav......I suggest the NAV without hesitstion.....it is absolutly fantastic....very accurate and useful!! Be sure to get a "FULL" Demonstration of the NAV's features before deciding...(make sure to get a salesperson that knows how to operate the nav)

I went to Tulsa lot sunday (closed) and saw a ton on RX 300s. Surprised and irritated that the 2001 in now cheaper than my 2000 I bought in August. The 1,500 package discount, puts the fwd with leather, roof, CD changer, wood wheel at $37,600.Mine listed for $37,700 and had no wood wheel, no stability control, no traction control, and none of the 2001 upgrades. I guess I should have watch the ES300 pricing. The 97 ES 300 was more than the 01 is now! And in 97 list price was common. I guess Lexus is being bit in the butt by the MDX pricing. Also surprised to see a vapor color with no CD and no roof. MSRP $36,000. I see no point to that. Even no memory seats. For $1,700 you get a ton of stuff more since the value packages are out there.INKYINKY

I just recently bought a used 2000 FWD RX300. I amvery pleased overall. I am confused about the "snow" power setting. Is this similar to a Traction Control System to be used in wet conditions, or should it strictly be used in snow at slow speeds?

I'm in Houston, Texas and had pretty much resigned myself to paying MSRP for a 2001 RX300 at the area dealers (or going to Dallas to get one). On a lark, I put a bid in on Priceline this weekend for a Blue Vapor FWD with Premium Plus package. My bid was $36,000 even and it was accepted by Westside Lexus. That includes destination and advertising fee, and I pick up the car on Saturday. No haggling, no hassle, and I even get the upgraded steering wheel at no cost. In Texas, I don't even have to pay the $50 Priceline fee. I think I got a great deal. If you're looking try Priceline out and see what happens!

Reset your Avg MPG setting.....(see manual)Display shows average since last reset.....since it is an average and you may have not reset it in 12000 miles...I would not expect it to change from 17.5 very quickly....I reset my avg MPG everytime I fill the car with gasoline.

If you keep the display on avg MPG for a long time, say 3000 miles, it will just stay stuck, as any change like going slow or fast won't really affect it much. I use mine whenever I start a trip or after a 1000 miles or so. It's fun to leave in on plain old MPG and let it range from 5 to 100, which I guess is the default when you're going downhill not using the accelerator at all.

I just did a test today where I set my cruise control with the speedometer as close to 70mph as I could. (It was right on the line.) Then I reset my mph digital readout and on a flat desert road just watched it for 30 min or so. The digital readout showed 67mph continuously. Which do you think is the more accurate. Does anyone know where the readings come from?

Having just read a number of magazine road tests that emphasize the "fragility" (and low clearance) of the RX300 off-road, I wonder what the real-world experiences of you owners out there really are. My wife and I are thinking about heading for the (S. Cal) desert and hills one or two weekends a year, but we don;t want to spend out time waiting to be winched out of a dry wash. I'm sure most of what we'll aim for would be rated no more than "easy" to "moderate" in off-road books.

What do you think? Is the RX300 SUV enough for a little dirty dancing?

Now they really didnt have anything bad to say about the Rx300 execpt that its really bad off road..no surprise there but I'm surprise they got a 0-60 time of 9.6 seconds when in past reviews it faired much better then that.

The Car & Driver 0-60 tests (for that particular comparison) were apparently done on a slow track. Not only was the RX300 time slow (9.6), as you pointed out, the timings for virtually all the vehicles were slow (e.g. more than 10 seconds for an ML320 which is definitely faster than that, 8.4 seconds for an MDX which should be faster).

They also really praised the RX300's seats, and that it was definitely the most car-like.

Your 17.5 is a true ownership average since you have not reset by pushing "info" and holding for several seconds. Anyhow, that is interesting. What kind of driving does that mostly represent and is your fwd/awd? I have noticed that short trips are brutal on economy with 60 mph cruising getting 26 mpg (with mobil one 0w30).INKY

Consider this additional review from Australia....."Mitsubishi&#146;s new Pajero GLS (Montero 01 in US) has raised the standard for four-wheel drives in several areas, and beat the Mercedes-Benz ML320 and Toyota 100 Series LandCruiser GLX to the best 4WD title.

On the road, the Pajero delivers class-leading ride, handling and steering, and braking, attracting consistently good scores.

The change to a unitary construction (with no separate chassis) has helped Mitsubishi to deliver best in class dynamics. The new chassis combines with fully independent suspension to provide an outstanding ride/handling compromise.

In this respect, it makes the LandCruiser feel like a truck.

Although the Toyota LandCruiser&#146;s 4.5 litre engine delivers more pulling power in the low to mid rev range, the Mitsubishi Pajero&#146;s 3.5 litre V6 also performs strongly.

New to the Pajero is a five-speed, adaptive auto transmission with a tiptronic-style manual shift mode.

Off the bitumen, the LandCruiser still has the edge but the Pajero is now very close. With a good approach angle, a smooth and willing engine, solid engine braking and reasonable wheel articulation, the Pajero copes with terrain that would have defeated the previous model.

For the money, the Pajero GLS also offers a long standard equipment list.

The ML320 uses the same great engine as the E320 sedan, but has limited off road ability, and the Pajero is at least equally capable on the road."

rx300fan & wmquan... The Car & Driver test was done on a 2000 model RX 300, cause I didn't see the chrome inside door handles nor the new taillights. What a shame, cause they used the 2001 MDX...

brillmtb...The Land Cruisers in other parts of the world have other engine options, including a turbo diesel. The one in the USA uses a 4.7L V8(not a 4.5L or whatever engine)Also, the suspension in the rear for the US model is tuned for a better highway ride or something(don't know what they changed exactly, if they changed the suspension setup)... Anyway, it makes it drive less like a truck than the other non US models...

I hope I'm correct, BTW I don't know A thing about suspensions or that stuff so don't be surprised if I wrote something stupid...

Hi all. While I am still waiting for mine (should arrive by Xmas), I have a few questions.Did any of you install (or plan to do so) a protective grill. Is there one fitted for the MDX? How much was it? How does it look? (Pictures???)Any MDX stories from the Buffalo area now that they got 2' of snow? How does the car handle in those circumstances?Thanks.vip

I bring you that info for your review to illustrate just how well the Montero now does in comparison to the gold standard, the LC. Take it for what it is worth. I personally felt it was important as Australians really use these SUV and the Montero and LC are heavy favorites.